The Geospatial Realm

Geographic Information Systems,

Science, and Studies
GI
Systems

GI GI
Science Studies
 Geographic Information Systems,
Science, and Studies
What is a Geographic Information System?

A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for
capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced
information.

GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways
that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports,
and charts.

A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way
that is quickly understood and easily shared.

GIS technology can be integrated into any enterprise information system framework.

The use of the term GIS implies an object or tool which one can use for exploring and
analyzing data that are recorded for specific locations in geographical space.
 Geographic Information Systems,
Science, and Studies
What is Geographic Information Science?

Geographic Information Science (GI Science) may be defined as the basic research
field that seeks to redefine geographic concepts and their use in the context of
geographic information systems (GIS).

GI Science also examines the impacts of GIS on individuals and society, and the
influences of society on GIS. GI Science re-examines some of the most fundamental
themes in traditional spatially-oriented fields such as geography, cartography, and
geodesy, while incorporating more recent developments in cognitive and information
science.

GI Science also overlaps with and draws from more specialized research fields such as
computer science, statistics, mathematics, and psychology, and contributes to
progress in those fields. It supports research in political science and anthropology,
and draws on those fields in studies of geographic information and society.

The term GI Science emphasizes more the methodology behind the analysis of spatial
data.
Geographic Information Systems,
Science, and Studies
 Geographic Information Systems,
Science, and Studies
What are Geographic Information Studies?

A recognition that the multidisciplinary nature of GIScience, geospatial technology,

and GIS&T applications require a GIS&T education infrastructure to support a diverse
array of educational outcomes.

A learner may acquire the knowledge and skills needed to achieve a particular
outcome by traversing the GIS&T Body of Knowledge, as well as supporting topics in
allied domains, and synthesized in integrative experiences like internships and
capstone projects.
Geographic Information Systems,
Science, and Studies
 What is a GIS?
Geography is information about the earth's surface
and the objects found on it, as well as a framework
for organizing knowledge.

A Geographic Information System (GIS) is a

technology that manages, analyzes, and disseminates
geographic knowledge.
 What is a GIS?
GIS links location to information (such as people to
addresses, buildings to parcels, or streets within a
network) and layers that information to give you a
better understanding of how it all interrelates. You
choose what layers to combine based on your
purpose.
 What is a GIS?

Rivers Capitals

Roads States

Lakes
What is a GIS?
What is a GIS?
 Three Views of a GIS
A GIS is most often associated with maps. A
map, however, is only one of three ways a GIS
can be used to work with geographic
information. These three ways are:
1. The Database View
2. The Map View
3. The Model View
 The Database View
A GIS is a unique kind of database of the world
a geographic database (geodatabase). It is an
"Information System for Geography.

Fundamentally, a GIS is based on a structured

database that describes the world in geographic
terms. Each GIS data set provides a geographic
representation of some aspect of the world.
 The Database View - Geographic Representations

Ordered collections of vector-based features

(sets of points, lines, and polygons)
 The Database View - Geographic Representations

Raster data sets such as digital elevation models

and imagery
 The Database View - Geographic Representations

Networks
 The Database View - Geographic Representations

Terrains and other surfaces

 The Database View - Geographic Representations

Survey data sets

 The Database View - Geographic Representations

Other geographic information such as

addresses, place names, and cartographic
information
 The Database View - Descriptive Attributes

In addition to geographic representations, GIS

data sets include traditional tabular attributes
that describe the geographic objects. Many
tables can be linked to the geographic objects
by a common thread of fields (often called
keys). These tabular information sets and
relationships play a key role in GIS data models,
just as they do in traditional database
applications.
The Database View - Descriptive Attributes
The Database View - Descriptive Attributes
The Database View - Descriptive Attributes
 The Map View
A GIS is a set of intelligent maps and other views
that show features and feature relationships on
the earth's surface.
Maps of the underlying geographic information
can be constructed and used as "windows into
the database" to support queries, analysis, and
editing of the information. This is called
geovisualization.
The Map View Interactive Maps
 The Map View Interactive Maps

Temporal view used to track hurricanes

 The Map View Interactive Maps

Embedded maps within custom applications

 The Map View Interactive Maps

Schematics drawing used to display gas lines

 The Map View Interactive Maps

3D used to depict Everest climbing routes

 The Model View
A GIS is a set of information transformation
tools that can derive new geographic datasets
from existing datasets.
These geoprocessing functions take information
from existing datasets, apply analytic functions,
and write results into new derived datasets.
 The Model View Geoprocessing

The building blocks of geoprocessing are

individual tools such as the Union operation.
 The Model View Geoprocessing

Tools operate on data inputs to create new

information.
 The Model View Geoprocessing

Tools operate on data inputs to create new

information.
 The Model View Geoprocessing

Home addresses of children with asthma can be geocoded against a streets layer.

Major roads (such as multilane roads and highways) can be selected and buffered - say by a distance of
150 meters.

These layers can be overlaid for studying this spatial relationship and its impact on the incidence of
asthma.

GIS includes many more sophisticated operators (such as spatial statistics tools) for studying these
relationships.
 What can you do with a GIS?
GIS Analysis
Spatial data manipulation
Spatial data analysis (descriptive and exploratory)
Spatial statistical analysis (statistical model)
Spatial modeling (predict spatial outcomes)
Spatial simulation (prescriptive)
What is the future of GIS?

Trends in technology and the future

direction of data creation, maintenance
and management

1. Everything happens somewhere -

the new wave of data creation

2. Managing a world of data

3. Linked data and the Internet of

Things

Etc.
https://ggim.un.org/docs/meetings/2n
dHighLevelForum/UN-
GGIM%20Future%20Trends%20Paper%
20-%20Version%202.0.pdf